Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a display device and a fabricating method thereof.
Discussion of the Related Art
With the advancement of an information society, a demand for a display device for displaying an image has increased in various forms. Recently, various flat panel display devices such as a liquid crystal display (LCD), a plasma display panel (PDP), and an organic light emitting display device have been used.
The display device includes a display panel and a data driver. The display panel includes a display area and a non-display area. The display area includes data lines, gate lines, and a plurality of pixels formed at crossing portions between the data lines and the gate lines and supplied with data voltages of the data lines when gate signals are supplied to the gate lines. The pixels emit light with a predetermined brightness in accordance with the data voltages, and an encapsulation layer for protecting the pixels from oxygen and water may be formed above the display area. The non-display area is formed in the periphery of the display area.
The data driver may include a plurality of source drive integrated circuits (hereinafter, referred to as “ICs”). Each of the source drive ICs may be fabricated of a driving chip. Each of the source drive ICs may be packaged in a flexible film. Each of source flexible films may be embodied in a tape carrier package or chip on film (COF), and may be bent or curved.
Each of the flexible films may be attached to pads formed on the non-display area by using an anisotropic conductive film (ACF). Since the pads are electrically connected with the data lines, the source drive ICs may be connected with the data lines.
Meanwhile, when the anisotropic conductive film is attached to the pads, the anisotropic conductive film cannot be attached to the pads if the encapsulation layer is formed on the pads. Therefore, the encapsulation layer is formed on a light emitting layer only using a mask, and is patterned so as not to be formed on the pads.
Alternatively, if the mask is not used, after an etching protection layer (EPL) is formed on an area except the area where the pads are formed, the pads may be opened through dry-etching, or may be opened by laser ablation for the area where the pads are formed.
It takes additional cost as the mask process is increased if the mask is used. And it takes additional cost for forming the etching protection layer even when the mask is not used.